Gas-generator.



PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

R. REID. GAS GENERATOR. APPLICATION FILED BERT. 19, L905 .2 SHEETS-SHEET1.

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PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

E. REID. GAS GENERATOR. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19, 1905.

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ROBERT REID, OF SOUTH YARRA, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA.

GAS-GENERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 2, 1907.

Application filed September 19, 1905. Serial No. 279,180.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT REID, a subject of the King of Great Britainand Ireland, residing at Toorak Road, South Yarra, in the British Stateof Victoria, Commonwealth of Australia, engineer, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Gas-Generators, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for generating gasfrom liquid hydrocarbons.

It consists, mainly, in a novel construction of generator designed to behighly heated by being arranged above or within a stove or within afurnace.

When used for generating gas, the oil, preferably kerosene-oil, is fedby gravitation or pressure to the generator in a thin stream and takes acircuitous course therethrough, the length and area of wln'ch whenheated is suliicient'to first convert the oil into vapor and thensuperheat thelatter, so that when it finally leaves the exit end ofgenerator it is in the form of a highly carbonaceous and noncondensableand permanent gas.

The invention also consists in other details in the construction of theapparatus and in the combination of the several parts, as hereinafterdescribed.

The invention will now be fully described, aided by a reference to theaccompanying sheets of drawings, throughout which similar letters ofreference will refer to the same parts, Figure 1 showing by a sideelevation a gas-generating apparatus with my improvements embodied init, and Fig. 2 a plan of same Fig. 3, a vertical section on line 1 1,Fig. 4, of the generator as arranged in an updraft-furnace; Fig. 4, ahorizontal section on line 2 2, Fig. 3; and Fig; 5, a half-sectionalplan of the generator on line 3 3 of Fig. 3, while Fig. 6 is a sectionalview showing the generator arranged in a downdraft-furnace, Figs. 3 to 6being shown to a larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2.

An apparatus designed for generating gas from oil, such as keroseneoil,is shown in the drawings, and it comprises a covered-top cylindiicalgas-holder A, assembled in a combined gas-holder and water-tank A,having gas inlet and outlet stand-pipes. The said tank A is seated upona bed-plate and is provided with an inner cylindrical division at, thusforming two compartments, the outer one forming the annular water luteor tank A and the inner one the lower part of gasholder. The gas-inletpipe 0, is arranged in the annular water-compartment A and extendsupward to above the water-line, while the gasoutlet pipe a is arrangedin the gasholder at any desired height.

C is an oil-supply receptacle shown attached to the water-tank A at asuitable height, although it may be arranged at any other suitableposition, and from said receptacle the oil is led through pipe 0 to thegenerator D, which is either arranged in a furnace or above a heatingapparatus within a heat-retaining casing.

The generator shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 is made of metal, although itmay be made of externally-glazed porcelain or other suitable material.It is constructed in the form of a nest or series of telescopic tubes Dand D suspended from a supporting plate or body D of metal or othersuitable material, and through said plate or body D are ports orpassages d, connecting in pairs the upper end of the larger or outertubes D, the smaller or inner tubes D being connected up in pairs attheir top ends by double or U-shaped elbows d. The lower ends oftheouter tubes D are closed, the inner tubes D being opened, and terminatejust above the closed ends of the outer tubes; also, through saidsupportingplate D are flues or vent-holes d In constructing thegenerator when of metal each outer tube D is threaded at its upper endand secured in the threaded sockets formed in the supporting-plate Dsaid sockets being connected together by the ports d. Again, the innertubes D are also threaded at their upper ends, and which latter passneatly through holes in the supportingplate, while the threaded ends aresecured in the threaded sockets of the double or U-shaped elbows d, saveand except two of the inner tubes, one of which connects direct with theoil-inlet pipe 0 and the other with the gas-outlet pipe (1 The oil fedby pipe 0 enters the generator D at the top end of the first inner tubeD and leads therefrom to its lower end and from thence up through theannular space between the inner and outer tubes and then through theport or passage d in the supporting-plate D to the upper end of theannular space between the next pair of tubes D and D and so on until itpasses out from the end of the last tube through pipe 61 in the form ofa non-condensable and permanent gas and is led therefrom to the coolingapparatus E. Alternatively the oil may be fed to the annular space inthe first telescopic tube and then pass through the generator, as beforedescribed. Said series of telescopic tubes D and D are made with aheating-surface sufiicient in area to produce the requisite quantity ofgas from a given quantity of oil, and they are incased, when assembledas above described, in an inclosed furnace or chamber F either above agrate F or above a gas or other heating apparatusF as shown in Fig. 3,or in a downdraft furnace, as shown in Fig. 6, the furnace in each casebeing provided with heat-retaining walls F while said heating apparatusF may be fed automatically with gas from the holder A.

The oil-supply pipe 0 descends from oiltank C to the inlet branch ofgenerator, and said oil-supply pipe is fitted with a valve or cock 0,operated by a lever 0 worked from a flexible or other connection 0 fromgasholder.

The cooling apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2 consists of a tank E,provided with an air-tight cover 6 and an inner divided removablechamber E, in which are arranged a se ries of vertical division-platesor baffles e,

said division-plates having a space 6 alter nately at each opposite endof the-divisionplates to cause the gas to travel snake fashion throughthe chamber E. Said cooling apparatus will also act as a condenser atany time that the generator may notbe sufiiciently heated to convert theoil into a permanent gas, in which'case the condensed oil will pass fromthe condenser E to the overflow-tank e, from which it may be withdrawnfor further use. By such a provision there is no possibility of liquidhydrocarbons entering the gas-holder. The gas-exit pipe (1 fromgenera.or D passes through the cover e and is connected to the top ofthe first compartment in the chamber E, near its one end, while in thetop of the last compartment of the division-chamber is an opening 6 toallow the gas to pass into the upper chamber E and be led therefrom bythe pipe a to the gas-holder A after taking a zigzag or snake-likecourse through the chamber E. The tank E is filled with water to justabove the height of chamber E to cool the gas on its way to thegasholder, and the cover 6 of tank E is provided with a water-fillingplug 6. At the side of tank E is a water-outlet pipe 6 which preservesthe water-level within chamber E, and said outlet-pipe terminates with adip leading into a trap or cistern 0, which catches and retains anycondensation. By this invention the gas passes to the holder in apermanent state due to the complete destruction or conversion of the oilwhile passing up and down through the tubes of the generator, as by sodoing the molecules of the oil are destroyed by the sharp turns given itwhile passing through the said highly-heated tubes of generator.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A generator for the purpose specified composed of a nest or series oftelescopic tubes, a supporting-body therefor having ports or passagesfor connecting the annular passages between the tubes of each adjoiningpair together and with the upper ends of each adjoining pair of innertubes excepting the inlet and outlet ones connected I by double or Ushaped bends and with the lower open end of each inner tube terminatingjust within the solid end of the outer tube substantially as describedand shown.

2. A generator for the purpose specified constructed of dependingtelescopic tubes arranged and sup orted in the heated chamber of afurnace or t e like in such a manner that the oil in its passagetherethrough takes a sharp turn at each end of the tubes and exteriorelbows connecting certain tubes substantially as and for the purposespecified.

3. A generator for the purpose specified consisting in combination of anest or series of telescopic tubes D D a supporting plate or body Dprovided with ports or passages d and holes to receive the end of tubesD D and the vent-holes d the double or U-shaped bends d, the oil-inletpipe 0 and the gasout let pipe (1 substantially as described and shown.

4. In a gas-generator, the combination of a heating-chamber, atransverse supporting member therein having draft-openings therethrough, series of tubes havin closed outer ends and having their innererIds secured in said member, said member having gas-passages from tubeto tube, open-end tubes arranged within said first-mentioned tubes andextending through said member and connected together in pairs at theexterior of said member.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ROBERT REID.

WVitnesses:

BEDLINGTON BonYooMB, W. J. S. THOMPSON.

